TVMaze API
TVMaze API is a free television information API providing comprehensive TV show data including episode schedules, cast information, show metadata, network details, streaming platform availability, and episode air date tracking for thousands of TV series globally. TVMaze is particularly well-suited for applications that need current and upcoming episode schedules — its real-time tracking of when episodes air makes it the preferred API for TV reminder apps, watchlist trackers, and entertainment schedule platforms.
The Schedule endpoint is TVMaze's most distinctive feature: it returns the complete schedule of episodes airing on any given date across all tracked TV networks and streaming platforms. For TV companion apps that want to show users "what's on tonight" or "what new episodes air this week," the Schedule API provides a date-based episode listing without requiring per-show polling. Applications can retrieve today's and upcoming days' schedules to display a comprehensive programming guide for shows the user follows.
Show search and lookup allows finding TV series by name text, returning structured results with show titles, network/streaming platform, status (running, ended, in development), premiere date, official site URL, image (show poster), summary/synopsis, genres, runtime, schedule (days and times), and the show's TVMaze ID for subsequent detailed queries. This search functionality provides the entry point for users to find and add shows to their watchlist from TVMaze's catalog.
Episode information from TVMaze includes episode number, season number, air date and time, episode title, synopsis, and episode image where available. For TV tracking apps that display episode details, mark-watched progress, and provide episode reminders, TVMaze's structured episode data provides all the information needed without maintaining an independent episode database. The air date and time data, linked to the show's network timezone, enables calculating when a specific episode airs in Nigeria's WAT timezone for local reminder scheduling.
Cast and crew information is available through the Cast endpoint for each show, listing actors with their character names and the actor's biographical data including birthday, country, and profile image URL. For entertainment platforms building cast profile pages, actor filmography features, or social "fans of this actor" features, the cast endpoint provides the structured relationship data between people and shows.
Network and web channel information in TVMaze tracks both traditional broadcast and cable networks (NTA, Channels TV, and international networks like CNN, BBC) and streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+). For Nigerian users wanting to know where to watch a specific series, the network and streaming platform information helps direct them to the right viewing destination.
Following/subscription features in TVMaze's platform allow users to mark shows as followed, tracking new episode notifications. While these features are user-account features within the TVMaze platform itself, the TVMaze API exposes user-level endpoints for authenticated users to integrate follow status into custom applications. Apps building TVMaze-backed watchlist features can sync with a user's TVMaze account to leverage their existing followed shows.
TVMaze API is completely free with no API key required for most public data access. Rate limiting is applied at the IP level to prevent abuse, but for normal application usage patterns, the free tier is sufficient. The lack of authentication requirements for public data makes TVMaze one of the easiest entertainment APIs to integrate — Nigerian developers can make their first API request immediately without any registration process.